Metro Mornings
by ebc2010
Summary: Bella, deputy communications director for Sen. Carlisle Cullen, is asked to investigate a fellow politician and is protected by the senator's son, FBI Special Agent Edward Cullen. AU/AH.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

"Good morning, Washington, it's going to be a rainy one today…" I didn't hear anymore of the announcer's gloomy prospects for the District's weather, as I slammed my hand on the alarm. I opened my eyes and stared around my room.

It was too cold to get up, but I knew I had to make it out of bed and into the shower. I hastily removed my blanket, stuffing my feet into slippers as I threw them over the side of the bed. I took my towel from the door and made my way down the hall to the bathroom.

I lived in a house with three roommates. Rosalie (and usually her boyfriend, Emmett), Alice, Jessica and I had all graduated from the University of Washington and moved to Washington, DC. Jessica and I shared one bathroom, while Alice and Rose shared the other. Alice figured she wouldn't feel as awkward sharing Rose's bathroom, given that Jasper was her brother and she had shared a bathroom with him for 18 years.

Jessica would not be awake yet, so I had plenty of time in the bathroom to myself. I turned on the light and looked at my reflection in the mirror as I turned on the shower. My brown hair was unruly in the morning, especially in the drying winter of DC. It was a change from Forks and Seattle, as DC typically had more snow than rain, which made the air a bit different. It was definitely different from the very dry, hot climate of Arizona, where I had lived until I was 17 and moved to Forks to live with my dad.

I took my time, savoring the warmth of the water in the chill of the March morning. We had been having an unusually wet and cold spring, but I didn't mind; it reminded me of Forks. After my shower, I stepped out and wiped the mirror down with my towel. I ran a brush through several times and blow dried it to get most of the dampness out of it. I then pulled it up into a ponytail and fastened it with a clip.

Back in my room I dressed, choosing a black pencil skirt, pink blouse, and black pumps. It was my usual work attire, but I always felt awkward in skirts and feminine colors. By now Jessica was in the shower and I went downstairs for my usual bowl of cereal. Alice was already downstairs, dressed in a fashionable dress and pumps, and smiled.

"Good morning, Bella!" she said between bites of her eggs. She had the morning edition of the Washington Post in her hand, turned to the fashion and celebrity page. Her spiky hair always made her look spunky yet feminine, and I was usually jealous of her seemingly never-ending good hair days.

"Hi Alice. Anything interesting happening in the world?" I asked her as I grabbed my cereal and a bowl from the cupboard and took a seat next to her at the counter. She laughed.

"Nothing I haven't heard before." Alice was a fashion consultant at a fashion magazine. She majored in marketing but had an eye for fashion, so it's a perfect fit. "Are you off soon?" she asked, glancing at the clock as she polished off her piece of toast.

"Yep," I said, taking my last bite as I stood up, putting my dishes in the dishwasher. "See you later, my dear!" I pecked her hair and she laughed.

I grabbed my coat from the hall closet and my purse from the entry table. Our house was an old rowhouse in historic Dupont Circle. It was only a 5 minute walk to the metro station, which was a large part of the reason we chose it. The fact that both Alice and Rose's parents were loaded helped, too, as they could shoulder a larger part of the rent. Houses in the area easily go for over a million dollars.

I locked the door behind me and started down Q Street. I waved at some of my neighbors, though it was early and most weren't out yet. Alice and I left by 6am, as both of our jobs required early attendance. Rose was a lobbyist for an auto labor union, so she typically did not need to be in the office until the start of the legislative day, which was around 9am. Jessica was in graduate school, studying biology.

And then there was me, Bella Swan. I worked as the deputy communications director for one of the senators from Washington, Carlisle Cullen.

Carlisle had given up a lucrative medical practice to run for office. Health care was becoming a bigger issue on the federal political scene, and as he was on several medical boards and health insurance advisory committees, most politicians in Washington thought he would be an excellent candidate for the open Senate seat. He did not have any political experience, but he was well known in the major Washington cities, especially Seattle. He had easily won the seat, as the incumbent was retiring.

I had known Carlisle for years, as he used to be my physician. When I graduated with dual degrees in political science and English, and had no job offers, he brought me on board his campaign staff. I was just an aide at first, but he quickly recognized my talent for tactful reconciliation of office conflicts and creative solutions to politically poisonous problems. Once he was elected, he promoted me (and nearly doubled my salary) to the position of communications staffer. A year later, I was promoted again to deputy communications director.

Shaking myself out of my reverie, I turned the corner onto New Hampshire Ave and walked the half-block to the metro station. I rounded the circle, waiting as needed at traffic lights, and stepped lightly down the escalator. A light drizzle had started, but it was nothing I much bothered at. My position did not require photographs or television appearances, so I never much minded if I looked a bit frazzled. The truth was, I usually felt frazzled, so looking that way wasn't so surprising.

I tapped my SmarTrip card on the machine and crossed the barrier. A train was just pulling in, so I quickly took the second escalator to the platform and grabbed a seat on the train. I stuck my earbuds in, flipped on my iPod, and looked around me. My trip was entirely below ground, so there was nothing to see out the window, but I enjoyed watching people. Usually at this hour it was business people – often political analysts or those who worked in Congress, like me. After two stops, I got off and went to the lower platform where I could transfer from the red line to the orange or blue lines. Both would take me to my destination.

A few moments later, a train approached and I stood waiting. The passengers exited and I stepped on. A man brushed past me and took the seat in front of me just as I was about to sit. Though it was early, it was crowded, and I said, "Excuse me, I was about to sit there."

The man looked up at me and snickered. "Yes, well, you didn't. So I did," he said arrogantly and put his headphones in. I felt my face blush pink and held the bar instead, turning from him so I did not need to look at him. A couple of people looked at me sympathetically, with some of the older men, who had offered seats to ladies, giving the man glares. He blatantly ignored them.

I got off at Capital South, which is only a few blocks from the Senate and House Office Buildings. The man got up as well, brushing past be again and knocking me over. One of the older men who had glared at him caught me and righted me. I smiled and thanked him, but the man just waved his hand dismissively.

"Apparently, chivalry is dead in the new generation," he said lightly and gestured that I should exit before him.

"Yes, it would seem so. Thank you again," I said as I left. I tapped my card again and crossed the barrier, choosing this time to wait as the escalator brought us above ground rather than climb them as stairs.

A few moments later, I was brushing water off of my wool coat and pulling out my staff ID.

"Hi Charlie," I said to the guard. Charlie was from Washington State, too, and used to be a police chief. He was very nice, especially to the young ladies. He viewed us all almost as his daughters and was very protective.

"Good morning Bella. How was the commute?" he asked, a big smile crossing his features. I smiled and placed my bag on the conveyer belt to get scanned. I crossed the metal detector and grabbed my bag, saying, "Oh, you know, the usual." He laughed and said, "Yes, yes, the usual. Have a good day, Ms. Swan!"

I walked to my office and greeted the secretary. She smiled brightly and handed me my messages. I took them and flipped on the light in my office. I set the message slips on the desk and took the electric kettle into the kitchen to fill it with water. Returning to my office, I set it on the plate and turned it on to boil and took a seat. I had gotten through all but one slip when the Senator came into my office.

"Hi Bella!" he said smiling. I never saw Carlisle without a smile, but it seemed particularly big today. I stood up and shook his hand.

"Good morning, Senator." He laughed.

"How many times must I tell you to call me Carlisle? I was your doctor for years, Bella." I chuckled. This was not the first time he said that and it had become something of a game for us.

"At least one more time, Senator," I said, sitting down again and motioned to my sofa for him to sit. He declined, waving his hand.

"I can't stay, I need to go. But I want to see you later and discuss a project. Very close to my heart. How about 5 minutes in my office?"

"Sure, whatever you want. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Nope, I have everything for you," he said and rushed out of the room. He was always very calm and had a cool demeanor about him, but his face was incessantly warm. People loved him, which is why he won his seat. But he fiercely fought for the best interest of the residents of Washington, which is why he deserved his seat.

Since I had five minutes, I walked to the kitchen to get a danish. My cereal never lasted me long. I grabbed a cheese one and after a moment's hesitance, a carton of vanilla yogurt as well. I took them back to my office and poured the water for tea. My Earl Grey was steeping when I heard a man's voice in the foyer.

"I'm here to see the senator, please."

I froze. I knew that voice.

"What is your name sir?" the receptionist asked politely.

"Edward, Edward Cullen." I heard a sharp intake of breath, and almost thought it was mine but realized it was the secretary's.

"Oh, you are the senator's son. I'm so sorry, right this way." She stood up and led him down the hallway to the senator's office. As he walked by, I got a glimpse of his hair. I'd know that copper hair anywhere.

It was the man from the metro. Then it sunk in…

I had met Carlisle Cullen's son on the metro.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Metro Mornings

**Chapter Title: **Knight in Shining Armor

**Author**: ebc2010

**Word Count**: 1048 words

**Rating: **PG-13

**Story Summary**: Bella Swan works in Washington DC as the deputy communications director for Carlisle Cullen, senator from Washington State. Bella is assigned to a special project, which apparently involves Carlisle's arrogant son, Edward. In working with Edward, Bella learns to see through appearances in a world where nothing is as it seems and trust a virtual stranger with her life.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **I have added some information in this chapter, and I would strongly discourage anyone who is sensitive to the issues of human trafficking not to continue reading this fic. I feel very strongly about the issue, but would never want to cause anyone harm. This is a story that, among other things, deals with this issue head-on.

"Bella, come in, come in," Carlisle said, waving me into his office before I had time to rap on his door. The senator always kept his door open before the official opening. He liked allowing the staff to freely come and go to talk with him before the bombardment of the public.

I moved to take a seat in the unoccupied chair opposite his large mahogany desk. A man was seated in the other chair, but stood upon my entering the room. His eyes grew large.

"Edward, this Bella, the deputy communications director. Bella, this is my son Edward." I extended my hand and Edward took it, shaking it with a firm but warm grip. He started to speak but then hastily closed his mouth and looked away. I tried not to look offended or upset for the second time in as many hours. I took a seat as Carlisle rounded on the desk and sat behind it.

"So what can I do for you, Senator? You mentioned a project for me?" I said, keeping my voice strong even if my emotions were not.

"Yes, yes. I want to author a bill, Bella. This will be my first since I've gotten here, and I want it to be something important. Everyone expects me to attack health care, but I want to put my mark on something else first. Something very close to me," he added, risking a glance at his son. "Edward here is a special agent with the FBI. I think you might find his assistance… useful."

I looked at Carlisle with confusion. "How might that be, sir?"

"Well, Edward has some experience with this kind of thing. Let me explain my bill proposal first." He handed me a packet of information in a standard Congressional folder. "Please do not read this in any public locations or place the information in anything other than that folder. If you need a bigger folder, I can get you one." I nodded, opening the packet. "This probably all seems very secretive to you, but in a way it is." He got up and motioned for all of us to sit in the sitting room portion of his office.

"When Edward was young, my wife Esme and I had a second child, a little girl. Her name was Alice." I looked up at him, my gaze confused. I hadn't known of any children aside from Edward and his brother Eric.

"Yes, you are confused. When Alice was six, she was kidnapped." I gasped, glancing at Edward. He seemed very interested in the wood grain of his father's coffee table.

"We looked everywhere for her, even traveling abroad to try and find her. For a year, I put everything on hold to find her, but to no avail. Eventually I had to return to the States and continue my life… we continued our lives. But they were never the same, and I never stopped looking for her. I have had private detectives search everywhere but no one can find her.

"The police thought it was a kidnapping for use in a human trafficking ring because we never received a ransom demand nor was her body ever found. Traffickers often target young girls that they can train and trade in sex slavery." Edward rose and began pacing, raking his fingers through his hair. Both Carlisle and I looked at him.

"Edward never gave up hope that he could find Alice. It was one of the main reasons he joined the FBI and he has diligently worked up the ranks and is now on the hostage rescue team. It is this experience that I believe will be beneficial to you." I looked at Edward and he stopped pacing to look at me. He took his seat again and sat back against the sofa.

"How can his experience in hostage rescue help me? What am I doing exactly, sir?" Carlisle smiled ruefully.

"You are aware of the recent findings of the House Ethics Committee regarding Representative Black?" he asked quietly, rising to close his office door. I nodded, confused by the sudden topic change.

"Yes, of course. He was found to have made some inappropriate dealings with some lobbying firms. But the Committee's findings are not binding and nothing will come of them. What does this have to do with human trafficking?"

"We are declaring war on Representative Black, Bella."

"Why, sir?" My head was reeling and my lack of caffeine was causing me to get dizzy.

"The lobbying firms that the Committee cited are not real organizations, Bella. Well, they are, but not really. They are front organizations for a darker and much more sinister plot." I suddenly realized where this was going.

"Do they have something to do with organized human trafficking, sir?"

"They do." I took a deep breath.

"Sir, you realize the kind of risk you are taking here, don't you? Taking on Representative Black as a freshman senator could be disastrous."

"I know, Bella."

"Sir, he's the Speaker of the House of Representatives," I said breathlessly.

"I know, Bella. This is why you must not breathe a word of this to anyone. It is also why I have brought Edward in on this. Should anyone find out what you are doing, Bella, your very life could be in danger. The Congressman will not allow an upstart senator from Washington to unhinge his plans. But I am smarter and more cunning that Congressman Black, and I believe I can outsmart him." He turned to me and took my hand.

"However, I cannot do it without your help, Bella. Can you do this for me? Can you research and organize this bill, even investigate the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives?"

My head was spinning, but I chanced a glance in the direction of Edward.

"Yes, Carlisle, I will do it. This is clearly very important to you." Carlisle breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Bella. Everything you need is in the packet. That should at least get you started. There is a page of contacts you will want to meet with to get your background going. Oh, and please remember that Edward is not only here to help you, Bella."

"What else is he doing then?"

"He's protecting you."

**Author's Notes: **It's short, I know! Please bear with me. I felt this was a natural stopping point.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **Thank you for all of the reviews! I honestly love them all. I'm glad you all are enjoying the ride as much as I am They give me incentive to write more, usually at work! Now, as they say on Big Thunder Railroad at Disneyland (and if you haven't been on it, you totally should, it's amazing), "Hang on to them hats and glasses, 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!"

In most cases, the words _confused _or _shocked _are usually an understatement. This was definitely one of them.

"Protect me?" I asked, my eyes getting narrow. "Why would I need protection?" A small smile came over Carlisle's face.

"I knew you wouldn't like it, Bella, but you yourself just said that it was dangerous to go up against Congressman Black. It is extremely dangerous for me, but mostly in the political sense. I won't take the risk that you may be in physical danger since you are the one doing the research. I don't want him to view you as a problem and try to eliminate that problem without providing you with protection. And Edward is the best there is."

I turned to look at Edward. He had a soft gaze, but immediately averted my gaze as soon as we made eye contact. I sighed.

"I know you have good intentions, Senator, but honestly, I can take care of myself."

"Yes you can, Bella. And under normal circumstances, I wouldn't doubt your ability to look after yourself. You are resourceful and stubborn, not to mention a touch spunky. But it's not you that I don't trust, it's the Congressman. If this is as big as I think it is – and I'm very, very certain that it is – he will not want you poking around and would not hesitate to stop you by any means necessary."

I swallowed. Suddenly my mouth was very dry and I wished I could get my tea.

"Father, perhaps we should let her think about it for a few minutes." It was the first time in this entire exchange that Edward had spoken, but he spoke with a softness I hadn't known was possible. I'd only had one conversation with him, if you could call it that, in the metro, but he had seemed callous. In the hallway, he was brusque and formal. Now he seemed almost gentle. My mind was reeling.

"No, I don't need a few minutes," I said quickly, rising from my seat on the settee. "Senator, you have asked me to help you with a special project, and one that is very close to you. I cannot possibly deny you that after all you have done for me." I smiled at him and looked at Edward. "And if that means you want me to have your son's protection, then I will oblige."

Carlisle looked relieved. "Thank you, Bella. OK son, why don't you explain to her what you want to do."

"Actually, we can do that in my office, Senator. We don't need to take up any more of your time. And the less you know, the better." I grabbed my packet from the table and started towards the door. Edward followed me out the door, closing it behind him as the day was now in full-swing.

As we came to my office, I opened the door and motioned for him to follow me in. I had decided to steel myself against anything too harsh, not wanting him to invade my life. He confused me and I didn't like that. I also couldn't read him, another thing I didn't like.

It wasn't a huge office, but it was more spacious than most. The wall to the left of the door held several bookcases stuffed with communications books, news magazines, and some other odds and ends I've found useful in my line of work. The door shares a wall with a large window facing the rest of the office. I had blinds installed so I could have privacy, and a sofa sat beneath the window. The wall opposite the door had the window to the outside. Our office was in the Russell Senate Office Building and I could see the Capitol and a small portion of the National Mall from the window. I had two chairs for guests in the middle of the room, facing my desk. My desk – it was my favorite piece in the room. It was kidney-bean shaped, very industrial. It had a glass top, to make the space more open, and brushed nickel legs. I chose a laptop rather than a desktop and my printer was on a stand next to the desk against the wall, under the window. I faced the desk out toward the room, facing the bookcases. This way I could see out both windows and the door.

Edward looked around my office and took a seat on the sofa. "You set up your office like a cop," he mused. I chuckled.

"Why do you say that?" He laughed.

"Cops don't like to have their backs to anything but a solid wall. They face doors, windows, and people. Just like you do in this office." He laughed again, shaking his head. I knew his implication – he was like that, and now I had the advantage. He had to have his back to something, either the door or one of the windows.

"That's actually why I oriented everything this way. It subliminally makes people on edge, which gives me an advantage. Well, an additional advantage, I would already have the home court advantage." I sat behind my desk in the large chair, swiveling it towards him. "So what kind of-" I started, but Edward began at the same time.

"Listen, I-"

We both stopped at the same time, smiling. I motioned for him to continue. "I am very sorry about the metro this morning," he began. Ah, so he did remember that it was me. I raised an eyebrow, and he continued. "I was none too pleased that my father called in a favor. I didn't want to be assigned to you because I thought it was a silly assignment. My supervisor didn't give me all the details, just that my father had called and asked if I could be assigned to protect one of his staff." He stopped, looking somewhat nervous. He stood up and walked over to the wall, where I had my diploma hanging and some pictures of the landscape back in Washington.

"The truth is, Bella, my father and I don't get along so well. He has never particularly liked my line of work, he had hoped I would follow in his footsteps and become a doctor." He turned to look at me then and gave me a crooked grin. My heart started to melt, just a bit. "But science was never my thing, especially biology." He turned back to the pictures. "However, now that I understand why he wants me to protect you, I agree with him. Congressman Black is a dangerous man when he is angered."

I smiled. "I know that very well. But usually he is only dangerous in the political sense. Do you really think he would come after me and cause me physical harm?" He sat in one of the chairs opposite my desk, his elbow on the arm.

"Yes, I do. What do you know of him?"

I got up from the chair, got my mug of now overly-steeped tea from the small shelf where I kept the water pot and plate, and sat back down again. I opened a drawer to get some Splenda and began to doctor my tea as I answered him.

"Not much. Would you like some tea?" I offered before I began my answer. He shook his head and I continued. "Just that he's from the western part of Washington State. He is Native American and the area is mostly Indian reservations, so it wasn't hard to win the election. He is very young to be the Speaker of the House, but he seems to be very persuasive. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, that's most of it, plus what my father told you about his dealings. He is well known in law enforcement circles as being belligerent and self-righteous. He takes full advantage of the fact that politicians cannot be cited for things like traffic violations in the District. He is ruthless in his political associations, always leaving a meeting getting everything he wants while the other person wonders how they ended a meeting without getting anything in return. Politicians vote with him because they are scared of him."

I nodded as I took it all in. "So what kind of protection would I need?"

He shifted in his seat slightly. "That's the tricky part. Because he is so ruthless and so connected, he could get at you literally any time, any place. So…" he trailed off, looking at me with pleading in his eyes.

"So what, Agent Cullen?" I had decided this should remain a business transaction, so I chose to use his formal name. If he caught that, he didn't let on.

"So I would need to be with you 24 hours a day, Ms. Swan," he answered, just as formally. My eyebrows rose. "I would stay with you at your place, come with you to work, go with you to any appointments."

"All day? And you'd follow me everywhere? Are you serious?" He looked me square in the eye, his green eyes reflecting the light from my desk lamp. Those green eyes melted my resolve a little more.

"Dead serious."

**Author's Notes: **I have tried to make this as real as possible. Any Congressional committees that are mentioned are real, as are the organizations. The directions, landmarks, etc. are all accurate according to Google Maps and my own experience in the DC area. The people's names I have obviously made up.

Oh, and the terms "Congressman" and "Representative" are interchangeable but a senator is always addressed as "Senator."

All that said, please review! It makes me more motivated to write… even at work ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **Thanks for the reviews, they rock. I had a hard time with this chapter, as I needed to resolve a couple of things… and I needed to work it out in my head and on paper. You'll understand once you delve in.

I threw some water on my face, pausing to look in the mirror above the sink. I had excused myself to the restroom immediately following Edward's master plan. I couldn't handle all of the changes that were about to come my way and I needed an escape.

He wanted to stay with me. All day and all night for the foreseeable future. Most people wouldn't mind having a constant bodyguard. There's something very knight-in-shining-armor about the whole arrangement. I however was not most people. The idea scared me to death.

First of all, I couldn't just bring a man home and let him stay in my room, but we didn't have a spare bedroom. Then there is the obvious problem of my roommates. I haven't exactly been active on the dating scene, so suddenly having a man living with me would be extremely strange. I didn't need them asking questions, and telling them the truth was completely out of the question. Any work assignment that required a full time bodyguard would be a huge red flag to all of them.

So what to do… I grabbed a paper towel and dried my face, retouching my lipstick and powder with the small compact I carry in my purse. I slipped it back into my purse and walked out the door, throwing my paper towel away as I exited. My heels clipped along the marble floor as I walked the few hundred yards back to the office.

Once back into the office, I smiled at the receptionist again and walked back towards my office. Edward was standing again, looking at the photos on my wall.

"Do you like them?" I asked as I entered, walking to stand next to him. He looked at me and smiled.

"I know where all of these are from, except this one. Where was this taken?" he asked as he pointed to a print, looking back at the photograph. I smiled.

"That is one of the bluffs along the La Push beach on the reservation." Edward was quiet for a moment and then looked at me again.

"So you know Congressman Black?" he asked quietly. My smile waned and I turned to take a seat in the chair.

"No, I told you I don't know him. I've never met him except a few instances in passing on the Hill. Why?"

Edward shrugged. "No reason. So where were we?" he asked as he sat back down again. I could tell the earlier exchange still bothered him, however. The glint in his eyes was no longer there – instead, a darkening around the irises hinted at a more guarded expression.

"Well, I am concerned about the 24 hours a day aspect of this whole thing. I don't date much, so if I bring home a man to stay with me, my roommates will be suspicious."

He nodded, looking deep in thought. "So they wouldn't buy that I'm a cousin or something in town for a few days?"

"They might, but drafting this bill could take longer than a few days. In fact it would likely border on a few weeks."

He nodded again. He got up and paced around the room.

"I could have a safehouse set up for you. That actually might be better so your roommates are not put in danger. I was not aware you lived with anyone. But being single definitely helps matters, as that is one less person that would potentially need protection," he said, a hint of the gleam coming back into his eyes.

"I would prefer not to have a safehouse. I really am only doing this to placate your father, I don't think this will be much of a problem."

Edward sat down again and looked at me straight in the eye. "Do not underestimate him, Ms. Swan," he started.

"Please, call me Bella. That is, if you don't mind if I call you Edward. It would probably be a bad idea for me to call you Agent Cullen. That will give away who you are, both in terms of the Cullen name and your title." He laughed.

"Yes, Edward is fine. I prefer it, in fact…" he trailed off, still boring into my eyes with his. A girl could get lost in those green eyes… I shook myself out of my reverie when he continued. "Well, if a safehouse is out of the question, could you tell your roommates you'll be out of town for a few weeks, maybe on vacation? Then you could stay with me."

I am pretty sure my jaw dropped. "Stay with you? As in, stay at your place?" He nodded slowly, grinning.

"Don't worry, I'm one of the few clean bachelors still in existence. And I can cook. Oh, and I don't have roommates, so there is nothing awkward to explain," he said very hesitantly. His eyes danced as they searched mine for an answer.

I couldn't honestly think of a reason not to do it. Well, I could think of a hundred reasons, but none of them seemed very good at the time. He was assigned to protect me, so I would have to have him around. His being at my place was not an option, and I refused to be treated like a helpless victim by being given a safehouse. There wasn't a guaranteed threat, yet, so I wouldn't take one from a person who might actually need it. This was the only alternative.

"Alright, we can do that. I'll need to get some stuff from my place, is that going to be a problem?"

He shook his head. "I can stay outside while you go in and get some stuff. You haven't started the investigation yet, so no one should be looking for you. I'll get some stuff at the grocery store and pick you up afterwards. Do you want to get your things now or later?"

I looked at my watch. It was five minutes after 10:00. "Now would probably be a good idea. Then we can get some lunch and go over any rules you might have for me. After lunch we can come back here and I'll get organized." He nodded and stood up.

"I'll just let my father know what the plan is. I won't tell him where you are staying, though. The fewer people who know, the better." He started to walk out the door, but turned as he reached the threshold. "I really am sorry about this morning, Bella," he said softly.

"Don't even worry about it, Edward. It was nothing," I said just as softly.

As he walked out the door, so did some of my resolve to just keep this a business transaction. This was about to get very, very complicated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when a man and a woman are in a car together, uncomfortable silence inevitably ensues.

Edward had taken the Metro to his father's office building, but another agent (or I assumed he was an agent) met us outside with a car. The man then took the Metro back to FBI Headquarters. Edward approached the car nonchalantly, discreetly looking to both sides to check if someone was watching. Once I was safely tucked into the passenger side, Edward slid into the driver's side, taking the keys from the other man.

"Well, where are we off to?" he asked as he stuck the keys in the ignition and started the car. The heat from the vents was a welcome feeling, as it was quite cold this time of year. I rubbed my hands together to warm them before replying.

"I live on Q Street, right by Dupont Circle Metro Station. Really, this wasn't necessary, I can walk to my house in a couple of minutes from the station." He shook his head and eased into traffic on the National Mall.

"No, I insist. I will drop you off and then get some things at the market. There's one not far from you. Then I'll come back and pick you up." He looked in the rear view mirror, I assume to make sure we weren't being followed, and then glanced at me. "Are you sure your roommates won't be back?"

I shook my head no. "No, Rose and Alice are at work and Jessica has class until this evening. I'll be all alone." I looked down at my hands, then back to his face. "How long do you think I'll be at your place? Just so I know how much to pack," I finished quickly, blushing and look back down to my hands. Edward just chuckled.

"Probably just a couple of weeks, but you never know. We can get you some more clothes and other necessities as we go." He extended his forefinger to gently nudge my chin up and towards him so I faced him. "Besides, I do own a washing machine," he said. Those emerald eyes were dancing, and I was blushing again.

_Why are you blushing, Bella? You only blush when you are nervous…_

Was I nervous about him? Why would I be nervous?

"Right, ok, so I'll just pack and you can get whatever you need at the store," I said quickly, opening the door and getting out before he could say anything.

"Bella," he said before I could close the door, and I turned around towards the car again. "Be safe." I nodded and closed the door, half-running to the door to get out of the rain. I pulled out my keys, jammed them in the lock, and opened the door, brushing water off my coat. After I'd stepped in, I closed the door behind me and sank against it.

I was crazy. He was rude, exasperating, and confusing. Above all, he was my boss's son. I would not be _that_ girl who dated the boss's son to get ahead. I needed to keep my cool.

_This is business, Bella. _

Right. It's all business. I didn't have to worry about being one of those girls. I could handle it.

I trudged up the stairs and hauled a duffel out of my closet. I packed enough underwear for two weeks as well as some jeans, knit shirts, and work clothes. I figured that if I was doing mostly research, I could do that in jeans and a knit shirt rather than my normal work attire. But I brought some along in case I needed to go into the office or meet with some important people. A lady never knows, after all.

I grabbed a coat and my toiletries bag that I keep packed and ready to go. In Congress, you never know when you'll need to make a last-minute trip, so I keep a toiletries bag on hand. I also decided to bring my Converse All-Stars, my go-to sneakers of choice, and another pair of work shoes that could go with pants or skirts. I stuffed my slippers and a pair of pajamas into the end of the duffel and I was ready to go.

A look at the clock told me I had been pretty fast, it only took me ten minutes. A horn honked out front and I peeked out the drapes. Edward was leaning against the car, arms folded. He was looking right at me, an amused look on his face.

I grabbed the duffel and hurried downstairs. Closing the door behind me, I turned to lock it and set my bag on the ground. Well, I tried to, at least, but Edward caught it before I could set it down.

"Allow me," he said softly, almost whispering. A blush crept up my cheeks and I hastily turned the key into the lock as he took the bag from my hand.

_Calm down, woman, _I told myself. _He is being a gentleman. Did you really expect anything else from Carlisle and Esme Cullen's son?_

I suppose not.

I turned and Edward had the door open, waiting for me. I slid into the seat and Edward closed my door, jogging over to his side of the car. It had just started to drizzle again, which gave his skin a sparkling look. And his hair! It was wild, crazy sex hair.

_Sex hair? How do you even know what sex hair looks like, Missy?_

I really hated my inner self sometimes. She could be so… rude.

Edward slid easily into his seat, buckling his seatbelt. "I kept the car running so the heat would be on," he said. I nodded, the blush threatening to creep up again.

_Oh come on, woman, he was just being polite!_

Really, really hating my inner self.

"So where do you live?" I asked hesitantly. "I guess we ought to learn more about each other since we'll be spending a lot of time together."

Edward cracked a lopsided smile, glancing in my direction.

"Sure, I suppose we should," he said cryptically. "I don't live far from here, in Mt. Pleasant actually."

"Oh really? I have heard those houses are very expensive."

"They are, but I only have the top flat. Another guy has the basement section. It makes paying the rent easier and we never have to see each other. Our leases are separate, so we're not responsible for each other." He shifted somewhat in his seat. "So what about you? Dupont Circle is expensive, too."

This time it was my turn to laugh. "Yes, it is. And I would not be living there except two of my roommates have pretty rich parents. They have been friends since childhood and their parents bought the house together as an investment. We pay them rent, but it's far below market value."

"That's very nice of them. How many roommates do you have?" he asked.

He seemed to be genuinely interested in my life, which was strange. Most guys I met only wanted to know the basics in order to get you comfortable. Then it was all about sex. Like Mike… ew.

"I have three. Well, sometimes four. Rose, Alice and Jessica are my official roommates, but Rose's boyfriend Emmett is there so often, he might as well be another roommate," I said laughing.

He looked at me pointedly. "Rose? And Emmett? What is Rose's last name?" he asked.

I was a little confused. "Hale. Why?" He burst out laughing.

"Emmett McCarty is my best friend from college. We play hockey together," he said, still laughing. I smiled.

"Well what a small world!" I said as I chuckled. "Yeah, Emmett is great. He's great for Rose."

"Yeah, she keeps him in line, which he needs. She doesn't put up with his antics."

Then the car fell into silence again, but this time it was comfortable. I felt like he was loosening up. He was very much like his father, very proper and upstanding. That was hardly surprising since he would have been brought up that way. But Edward's outward appearance made him seem more unruly than his father. Even his job with the FBI went against the grain of his father's plans. Yet he had the same kind but reserved personality as his father.

I could also see Esme's influence. She was very graceful, always courteous and very warm. You always felt welcome in her home and she had taken very kindly to me. My mother lived in Phoenix and I didn't see her very often, and my father had passed away when I was little, so the Cullens became something like surrogate parents to me. Esme took her role as my surrogate mother very important. I like to think she viewed me as her daughter… the one she never had.

Or at least, the one she never got to see grow up.

I was shaken out of my reverie by Edward's slowing the car, pulling up to parallel park on the street. That's one terrible thing about DC… you have to park on the street.

"You're good at that. I like to think I don't own a car for the sole reason that I would be unable to park it in DC," I said lightly, grinning at him. He smiled that lopsided grin and unbuckled his belt.

"Really, you can't parallel park? It's one of those things everyone should know. Like changing a flat tire," he said as he grabbed the duffel from the back seat and opened his door. I started to open my door, but he was around the hood and in front of my door to open it before it opened more than a few inches. "Sorry," he started, holding a hand out to me, "but my mom raised me a gentleman."

I smiled at him and grabbed his hand to steady myself as I climbed down from the giant Suburban. "I would expect nothing less from a son of Esme Cullen." He led me up the walk and unlocked his door. He had a beautiful brownstone, probably 1800s from the looks of it. I was no architecture expert, but I knew that the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood is a historic district, so most were original at least in the outer architecture and aesthetic touches.

"I love old homes," I said as I stepped inside. "They knew how to build them with character back then. No cookie cutter houses in 1830."

"That is true. And they built them to last." He put his keys and wallet on the console table in the foyer and I looked around his home. It had classic colors, very warm and soothing. There was a soothing moss green in the hallway, with hardwood floors the color of deep mahogany. The stairs were the same hardwood, the banister an elegant mahogany that was more a work of art than a useful banister. I was almost afraid to touch it.

"I'm going to get the groceries and then I can give you the grand tour."

"Do you need any help? I don't mind," I asked as he walked towards the door. He waved his hand dismissively as he turned back to look at me.

"No, there isn't much. You can take a look around." I looked around the kitchen. It was a sunny yellow, with a deep red accent wall where the windows were. The accent of the red made the sun shining through the window that much brighter. His kitchen had a homey feel, and was very modern. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, double oven. Very contemporary. It reminded me a lot of Esme's kitchen in Washington.

He came back a moment later carrying a couple of bags from the neighborhood grocer. He set them on the island counter and busied himself putting everything away.

"I thought we'd have spaghetti tonight. I had some sauce defrosting already," he said as he set some pasta on the counter to cook later. I nodded.

"Spaghetti sounds great. You make your own sauce?" I asked, a look of surprise on my face. He chuckled.

"I wish. My mother makes it. We have Sunday brunch every week and she will send me home with leftovers. I think she saved stuff throughout the week for me. She worries about me being a bachelor," he said, a smile playing at his mouth. He clearly thought the world of his mother.

"Esme is wonderful. I often wonder what I would do without her," I said softly, taking a seat on one of the stools at the counter.

"I'm going to go change into something a little more comfortable since we have a little bit of time before dinner. You are welcome to change as well and I can show you where you'll be staying." I hopped off the stool and followed him. He grabbed my duffel from by the stairs and climbed them. Once at the top of the stairs, I could see that he had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One he kept as an office and workout room, with a treadmill and weight bench as well as a desk. The other was a large bedroom, assumingly his own. He motioned for me to enter the bedroom ahead of him.

"This is my bedroom, but while you are here you can sleep up here. I will take the couch," he said as he set the duffel on the bed. I started to protest, but he put a hand to my mouth to quiet me. "No arguing," he whispered. His face was mere inches from mine and I could smell him. It didn't smell like the overly-aromatic stuff men usually wore; his was musky and almost fresh-smelling, like the forest after it rains.

All of a sudden I had an irresistible urge to run my fingers through his hair. That bronze sex hair.

_I thought this was business, Swan?_

Shut up, you annoying inner self!

"Well, then thank you," I said softly, my lips brushing against his fingers. The contact was like fire. I realized at that point he had not touched me up until then. He removed his hand and nodded, satisfied that I would comply, but his eyes remained locked with my own. Suddenly he turned behind him.

"The bathroom is through here, with a shower as well as a bathtub. It's a pretty nice one, feel free to make use of it. I haven't actually used it myself, but my mother chose it, so you know it's a nice model." Again, I nodded. I seemed to be incapable of any other response at the moment.

"Well, I'll be in the other bathroom changing and I'll meet you downstairs when you are finished." He fished out a pair of sweatpants from the dresser and left, closing the door behind him.

I finally stopped to take a look around. As I took in my surroundings, I took a deep breath to calm myself. His room was very masculine, a deep teal on the walls and black and silver accents. The bed was black, with black nightstand and dresser. There was a television on the dresser, a game system hooked up to it.

Ah, he was a gamer. Interesting. He seemed to favor baseball, as that was the game that was sitting on top of the system.

There were billowy silver drapes, thick enough not to let light in and flannel on the inside to keep the room warm in the winter. The thickness of them gave them a masculine tone, while the color and texture gave them softness. It was clear this was a man's room, but there were touches of softness that would make it luxurious.

His bed was a king, taking up most of the room. He had a silver comforter with black sheets underneath.

Black, _satin_ sheets. Holy. Cow.

What man has satin sheets? Either a gay man or a very, very sexy man. I was leaning towards sexy.

I swiftly changed into my pajamas, which consisted of sweats from my alma mater and a t-shirt with "I love Jane Austen" printed on it. I was a book nerd, especially classic English literature. I quietly stepped out of the room and saw that the other bathroom door was open, so made my way downstairs. I could hear Edward rummaging in the refrigerator for something.

"What are you looking for?" I asked as I reclaimed my stool. He turned and placed two cans of Coke on the counter. "Ah, refreshment."

"Jane Austen, eh?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course," I said, as if it were obvious. What woman _doesn't_ like Jane Austen?

"I really like that Colonel Brandon," he said very evenly, opening the Cokes and setting one in front of me. My jaw dropped to the counter. "But I must say my favorite is Edmund Bertram. He is underestimated, he is." He looked up and laughed a deep laugh.

"You read Jane Austen?" I asked incredulously.

"Doesn't every man?" he asked amusedly.

"Only the gay ones," I retorted. He laughed again.

"Fair enough. My mother loved the classics, so of course Miss Austen was in my repertoire. I have found her to be most useful in understanding the female species." I chuckled.

"Fair enough," I said, taking a drink.

"It's early yet," he said, glancing at the clock as he leaned on the counter to take a sip of his Coke. "We have a few hours until dinner. Do you want a snack or something and we can start on the stuff from my dad?" I nodded.

"Yes please. Do you have popcorn?" He looked at me bemused, but moved towards a cupboard near me. Apparently he kept his snack items in the cubbies on the island. I snorted a laugh.

"That's where we keep our snacks, too," I said with a grin. He laughed.

"Easy access on the way to the living room. Perfect for the movie-time snacks," he said by way of explanation. I nodded and broke out into a huge grin.

"Exactly." As silly as it seemed, this little tiny thing was a big deal for me. Everyone told me I was crazy to keep the snacks there, that the cubbies were designed for books, not food. But I was insistent.

He ran a hand through his hair as he waited for it to finish popping in the microwave. That hair. It would be the death of me.

_Yeah, but it would be a sexy death, which is better than you can say about your life, Missy._

There was that damn pesky inner self again. I took the opportunity while his back was turned to look him over. He was lean, but muscular.

He popped the popcorn and put it into a large bowl. I grabbed the folder from my satchel and we headed into his living room. I sat on his sofa and he moved to sit on the chair beside it, but I stopped him.

"Here, you can sit next to me, that way it's easier to share the popcorn and we can both read the paperwork," I said as nonchalantly as possible. He looked at me again, grinned, and took a seat next to me. His leg grazed my thigh and an electric current shot through my body. I shivered at the contact, relishing the sensation. Edward must have seen my shiver, since he grabbed the blanket from behind us on the sofa back and wrapped it around me.

I guess the tour was coming later.

**Author's Notes: **This is a little longer… I decided to go into a little more detail than usual. I hope it doesn't get bogged down. Let me know if you think it does.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **Thanks for the love, it warms my heart. I'm having fun just taking it as it goes – I honestly don't have a plan! I have an idea to do two alternate endings – thoughts? Would you guys like that, not like it? Let me know, it may make a difference where this goes.

"Ok, so your dad gave me this folder," I said, arranging it so that we could both see it on the sofa. He nodded and opened it. Inside there were several documents on the right side, with pictures and other documents in the left, with a sheet of paper with names and phone numbers. No affiliations, just the name and number.

"That's strange, he didn't say who these people were," Edward said, taking the sheet from the folder. There were eight names on the list. He got up and grabbed his laptop from the entry table along the back wall of the living room and powered it up.

"So you're a Mac man, eh?" I asked, smiling. He laughed.

"Yep. Gotta love Apples." The computer quickly came to life and he opened Safari. "I hate the politics of Apple, where you have to get everything through them and it's really one big monopoly, but they have excellent machines, so you can't really fault them for wanting to keep it all to themselves." He typed in the first name.

"Oh, Sam Uley, I know who that is," I said as I grabbed another handful of popcorn. Sam was number three on the list. "He is Black's chief of staff." Edward nodded and started to write on the paper, before I stopped him with my hand. "Your dad probably had a reason not to do that," I said. "Maybe we should start a secondary list?" Edward grabbed a notepad from the coffee table and wrote Sam's name, then "Black COS" next to it. The first name on the list, Angela Weber, was unknown to me but it popped up on Edward's screen.

"Angela Weber, Vice President of Domestic Relations, International Justice Mission. I've heard of them from our search for Alice, they do a lot of international sex trafficking work. She'd be a great contact." He wrote her name and title, along with "IJM," on the pad. The second name I also recognized.

"Ben Cheney's name sounds familiar, he is committee staff in the House Judiciary Committee, I think," I said as I grabbed another handful of popcorn. Edward entered Ben's name into Google and laughed.

"You are very good!" he said, also grabbing some popcorn. "Ben Cheney is the majority staff director for Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Whatever that means." It was my turn to laugh.

"The majority staff director is basically the chief of staff for the committee, or in this case, the subcommittee. Sometimes the staffers are staff of the members, sometimes they are different people entirely. If memory serves, Ben is a long-time staffer of the subcommittee's chairman, Representative Clearwater." More popcorn.

"Friend or foe?" Edward asked as he went for more popcorn. Our hands grazed each other as he stuck his hand in and I retrieved mine. An electric shock rushed up my arm, my head snapping to look at his. A look of acknowledgment was on his face, taking in my reaction. Clearly he felt it too. He cleared his throat and looked back to the computer as a blush crept into my cheeks.

"Um, friend. I think. Representative Clearwater is from Oklahoma, also Native American, but older. I've heard he does not appreciate Black's childish antics and snarky comments to the press. He views Black as an irritating thorn in his side, if grapevine gossip is to be believed."

"Excellent. So do you think Ben was placed on the list because of his connection to Clearwater or the subcommittee? Would that be the subcommittee that handles this issue?"

"It could be, it's really up to your dad. He can submit the resolution to any subcommittee since a lot of them overlap. The Judiciary Committee makes sense, but I could see Homeland Security or even Foreign Affairs being a good fit. It usually depends on the agendas and where you think it will get the farthest. Obviously, the goal is to get a floor vote and over into the Senate."

Edward nodded, shifting his gaze once again from the computer to my face. "So we don't know his usefulness?" he asked softly.

"Not entirely. I would say both connections are equally useful. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for sure." I grabbed my drink from the table and took a sip.

"Who is this Tanya Denali? Ever heard of her?" I asked as I set my cup down. Edward shook his head.

"No, let's see who she is." He entered her name in Google, with the familiar House logo coming up in the first entry. "Ah, another House staffer. This time for the House `Standards of Official Conduct' Committee. What on earth does that mean?" he asked, looking at me. I smiled.

"It's commonly known as the House Ethics Committee." He nodded knowingly. He turned to me, a rueful smile on his face.

"You'd think I'd know more about this since my father is a Congressman." I smiled, not wanting him to feel like I blamed him.

"Not necessarily, you haven't been close to your father for some time. I am in this day after day and have been for a couple years now. I wouldn't know anything about baseball, even though my stepfather plays for the Mariners." He looked at me, surprised.

"Really? You're related to _that _Phil Dwyer?" he asked incredulously. I laughed.

"How did you know his name? Do I have a dossier or something?" He laughed, this time a deep, genuine laugh. When he was done, he had an impish grin on his face and a sparkle in his eye.

"No, I just did a little checking on the person I'm supposed to protect. That's SOP in these cases."

I nodded, grinning myself. "Oh fabulous. But yes, that Phil Dwyer is my stepfather."

"So by your admission you know nothing of baseball… does that mean you dislike the sport?"

"With your family? Your dad is practically obsessed with the sport."

"I promise not to tell him you said that," he said lightly.

We made our way through the rest of the list. Two were cops, a Quil Ateara with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a Lauren Mallory with the Metropolitan Police Department in DC. We had one guy, Eric Yorkie, who was still unaccounted for.

By the time we realized what time it was, we were exhausted. I was fading fast and I could tell Edward didn't want to cook. I suggested that we order pizza, to which Edward looked extremely grateful. He asked what I liked on my pizza, and I told him I was ok with anything, other than anchovies. He wrinkled his nose. "Anchovies? Ew." I laughed and he pulled out a menu for a local pizza place down the street.

"How about pepperoni with some green peppers and onions?" he suggested. I cocked my head to the side slightly in confusion.

"That's an interesting combination. Not many people pick that," I said hesitantly.

"I know, but I've liked it since college. I used to just like pepperoni, then one day decided to be adventurous and picked those two things. They sounded good at the time. And now they are my favorite combination." I laughed.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"What? It's not that strange."

"No, not at all. It will be fine. More than fine, that is my favorite combination, too." He looked at me with a surprised expression, which softened into a smile.

"Interesting."

He ordered the pizza and it was here in 15 minutes. Edward was a generous tipper, I discovered, giving the delivery boy almost 50% of the bill.

"Wow, generous much?" I asked as I took the pizza to set on the living room coffee table.

"I feel bad for delivery boys on weeknights. They never make much. My old roommate in college was a bartender and said his life was a lot like a delivery boy's: Lots of tips on the weekends and hardly anything Sunday through Thursday. Feast or famine, and I'd rather they not resort to drug dealing to get through school."

"Such cop talk," I said, smiling. I grabbed paper plates and napkins from the kitchen and took them into the living room. Edward opened two beers, placing them on the coasters on the coffee table. "I assumed you like beer with your pizza, is that ok?"

"Perfect," I said, and we dug in. The pizza was amazing, the best I'd ever had.

"Oh my, Edward, this is the best pizza. I may never leave." It was out before I could think it through, and Edward's hand with his pizza stopped just shy of his mouth for a split second, then continued.

"I'm glad you like it," he said. Then, softer, he added, "You're welcome to stay as long as you like." There was some good natured banter as we ate, re-hashing life stories. It was surprisingly genuine, not the forced feeling I usually get in these situations. I didn't need to make my story seem interesting, he already thought it was. He laughed at my antics in college and I roared with laughter as he explained his hockey fascination. I glanced at the clock on the DVR and jumped with a start.

"Midnight already? Goodness, we need to get some sleep. We have to be up early, right?" I said, jumping up and gathering the plates and napkins to take to the trash. Edward nodded, grabbing the pizza box and beer bottles.

"Yeah, we have a briefing at 7am tomorrow at headquarters. Then we can get working." He put the leftover pizza in the refrigerator and the box in the trash, the bottles in recycling. We trudged up the stairs, my hands gliding over the wood banister.

"You really have a lovely home," I said as I reached the top, stepping aside so that he could get past me to the office. "Thank you for letting me stay here." He stayed two steps lower so we were eye-level.

"You're very welcome. As I said, you're welcome as long as you need to be here to feel safe." Our faces were mere inches apart, and I could feel his breath on my nose.

"Good night, Bella," he said so softly I almost didn't hear. I leaned forward, instinctively, to hear him and his nose brushed mine. I inhaled sharply, almost gasping, and his eyes stared into mine. "Sleep well." I nodded.

"You too, Edward," was all I could say, and with that he turned and went into his office, closing the door silently behind him.

_I thought you were keeping it business, Swan? _I thought to myself.

Yeah, me too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **Some of you mentioned the fact that Bella left without telling anyone where she was going. That will be resolved in this chapter; but no, she did not just up-and-leave without letting anyone know where she was. She's too smart for that :) As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy.

I closed the bedroom door behind me and crossed the room to my duffel. I pulled out my pajamas, simple striped bottoms and a long-sleeved top. I took them and my toiletries to the bathroom, setting them on the massive counter. I could tell it was real granite from the feel.

_Alice would flip if she saw his room_, I thought to myself. I pulled out my hairbrush, getting the tangles out from the wind and rain of the day. I finished my bedtime routine and changed into pajamas, then turned out the light and turned towards the bed. The lamplight from the bedside lamp was low, a buttery sheen on the walls. I turned down the bed and was about to climb in when I heard a beep.

_My phone. A text message? _I pulled out my Blackberry. _Several texts. Alice and Rose._ I started from the beginning.

_**Where are you, B? Are you working late? –A**_

_**Staying the night with E, won't be home until late. –R**_

_**Seriously B, where are you? –A**_

And then time stamped less than a minute later, the last one:

_**Just saw your note. Have fun in WA, call me later. –A**_

I knew she'd find it eventually. Not knowing what to tell people, Edward and I decided it was best to let people know as little as possible while keeping it plausible. I talked him out of a spontaneous vacation, since I would never do that in a million years. Well, not at least without a couple of days' notice. So I suggested that I write that I was visiting my grandparents in Seattle. Alice had only met them a couple of times, and Rose never had, so they wouldn't call to check. My dad's parents lived in Seattle, and they didn't really talk to my mom, so it's not like Renee would ever find out I _wasn't _with them.

It was the perfect cover.

_Unless your mom talks to Alice. Then they might figure out something is up. _True. But unlikely to happen. And if it does, hopefully it's after this is over anyway and I can explain it away after the fact.

I sent a quick text to Alice, ensuring her I had arrived in Seattle safely and would talk to her later. Then I set it on the nightstand and quickly fell asleep.

I awoke with a start, confused at first as to my surroundings. I rarely dreamt, but tonight I'd had several. They were all quite vivid. Edward and I were working on the investigation, trying to sort everything out. Rep. Black was always in the background, but I could never put my finger on him. They all ended with Edward dying, but never in the same way. This time it was drowning in the Potomac River. Actually, in all likelihood he died of hypothermia before drowning.

My gaze crossed the room, taking in everything. The light was off, but the moonlight shone brightly outside and a few slits of light made their way around the drapes. I thought I heard the door close lightly, so I got up to check.

The door was latched, just as I'd left it. I opened the door, but nothing was amiss. I considered crossing the hall to Edward's study to see if he was awake.

_Really? Why would he be awake, it's 2 o'clock in the morning! _Touché. Sometimes my inner self made good points when I was otherwise less-than-lucid. I closed the door and went back to sleep.

My alarm buzzed way too early. I found my Blackberry and turned it off, desperately trying not to turn over and go back to sleep.

The sheets were warm and inviting, not to mention satin just feels amazing.

_Yeah, plus the guy who normally sleeps in this bed is a complete demigod. _Shut up! I giggled to myself, amused that I would think that. He was good looking, with chiseled features that showed definition without bulk.

I groaned. I really should stop talking like that, especially to myself. Edward was my boss's son, and apparently my bodyguard at the moment. He was off-limits in every way.

I turned over and hopped out of bed in one fluid motion. Getting out of bed on cold mornings was kind of like taking off a Band-Aid – better to do it in one move rather than dance around it incrementally. I turned the shower on, letting the water warm while I undressed. He had not one shower head, but two. That puzzled me. Who needed two shower heads?

_Someone who often has visitors. _Oh, true. Hmm. I tested the water and stepped in. The water was the perfect pick-me-up.

After a quick shower, I combed my hair and dressed. When I opened the bedroom door, the door to the study was open. Edward was awake… and from the smell wafting up from the kitchen, he was making coffee.

"Do you take cream and sugar in your coffee?" The sudden noise startled me and I jumped. Edward was at the bottom of the stairs, looking up towards me. "Sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you. I heard the door open so I came to check."

"Not a problem. Cream only, thanks." I started down the stairs, trying to focus on not falling down the steps rather than staring at him.

He was wearing a dress shirt and slacks, simple and timeless, yet he made it look perfect. His hair hadn't been combed – or more likely, it was just unruly. He was in stocking feet and had his sleeves rolled up.

I followed him into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked. He shook his head and motioned to the barstools. I took a seat while he prepared omelets.

"I hope you're an egg fan," he said, waving his hand over to the counter beside him as he sprayed a frying pan with Pam. There were bowls of cut-up tomatoes, chives, chopped onion, crumbled bacon, and cheese. I laughed.

"Seriously, when did you wake up this morning?" I sipped the coffee he placed in front of me, nodding in thanks and smiling.

He laughed. "About 4am. That's my usual. I get up, go for a run, then make breakfast before heading into the office."

"4am? Really? You must be sleep-deprived. I'm sorry I kept you up so late last night." He waved a dismissing hand and turned back to the stove.

"Not a problem. I'm used to it. When hockey season starts up again, I run on caffeine injected right into my veins." I laughed. "What do you take in your omelet?" he asked.

"Cheese, bacon, and onion please."

"Coming right up." He quickly made my omelet, then added his into the pan, adding every ingredient.

"Do you make eggs every day?" I asked after he was seated in the stool next to me. He nodded, taking a forkful in his mouth.

"Eggs are power foods. Plus, you'll understand why I eat them. After a 4-egg omelet, I'm good for a while. Sometimes I miss lunch, so this keeps me going."

Bella nodded. She often skipped breakfast, or if she did manage something it was usually a bagel or cereal. She was good at cooking, but just didn't have the time.

If only she had someone to make it for her… _Enjoy it while you can, sweet-cheeks._

Her inner voice was sometimes very annoying.

After breakfast, Edward and Bella drove to FBI headquarters. The J. Edgar Hoover building was vast, taking up an entire city block. Edward flashed his badge at the security guard in the booth at the parking garage. The guard smiled and waved; Edward returned the greeting. He quickly found a parking place and soon we were in the elevator.

"So what is this meeting again?" I asked, taking in my surroundings.

"It's a meeting with my boss. He wanted to know what was going on, so we're going to give him a heads-up. Well, a modified version, at least." He gave me a sideways smile, which put me at ease.

The J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building is about what you'd expect of government-issue law enforcement buildings. The walls were a stark white, with a few tastefully chosen generic art prints that provide semblance of warmth but little personality. A sign was taped inside the elevator that reminded everyone to get their flu shots, and that a clinic was available the following Thursday during regular business hours.

Edward didn't have an office, per se, but he was part of a very small team known as the Hostage Rescue Team. As such, their unit had a specific section set aside. His desk was in the bullpen, with his boss's office at the opposite end of the room from the main entrance door. There were six desks set up, three sets of two desks facing each other. Edward's desk was facing the main door. I could tell it was his because it was the neatest desk of the bunch.

I walked towards his desk, gliding my finger over his nameplate as I turned the corner to look full-on. _Special Agent Edward A. Cullen_.

"What's the 'A' for?" I asked casually as I looked over his desk. He had a couple of personal photos, one of him and his friend Emmett playing basketball, another of his entire family after Carlisle won his election, and one of three children. I could tell the boys in the photograph were him and Eric; I could only assume the girl was Alice. I could feel him walk up and stand next to me, looking over my shoulder. Not that it was hard for him.

"Anthony," he said quietly, following my gaze the photograph. I risked a sidelong glance at him; he was pensive, apparently lost deep in thought. Suddenly, his hand brushed the small of my back, guiding me past his desk to the office in the back of the room. The name plate on the door said _Victoria Covent_. He knocked, and a female's voice bade us entrance.

Edward opened the door, motioning for me to enter first. I looked around the room as I crossed the threshold. The walls were a muted oatmeal color, neutral and almost masculine. The door shared the wall with several diplomas and awards; a bookshelf full of manuals and trade journals took up the majority of the wall perpendicular to the door. A potted plant was in the corner, soaking up sunlight from the window opposite the door.

I turned towards the large desk in the middle of the room. A tall, thin redhead stood behind it, a file folder in her hand. I couldn't help but think the folder was more of a prop than an actual file, meant to make her look more important than she actually was.

I walked towards the desk, extending my hand. "Hi, I'm Isabella Swan, deputy communications director for Senator Cullen." She took my hand and shook it with a firm grasp. I could tell she was used to dealing with men, much as I was. Her lips pursed, though I could not tell if it was in annoyance or confusion.

"Good morning, Isabella. I am Supervisory Special Agent Victoria Covent, Edward's unit chief. Please, have a seat." She motioned to the chairs facing her desk, and I sat in one while Edward closed the other and sat in the other. He pulled his chair over and up about six inches, forming somewhat of a protective barrier between his boss and me.

"Good morning, Agent Covent," he said evenly. His eyes flickered to me for a split second. I could tell in that instant that he was dreading this meeting. He had put on a good front, presumably so I would not be nervous, but once here I could tell he was struggling to control his tone. But why?

"Good morning, Edward. Now, what is this about a new assignment? I had a notice come across my desk from the director, but there were no details other than that you were newly assigned to a protection detail."

"That is true," he said before I could say anything. "I am protecting Miss Swan for the next several weeks. The duration is indefinite. My father felt, and the director agreed with him, that her life was in grave danger."

Victoria pursed her lips again and narrowed her eyes almost imperceptibly. She either didn't agree with him that I was in danger or she was annoyed at the turn of events. Either way, I didn't like her overall demeanor.

"Actually, I tried to assure the senator that I would be fine, but he would have none of it," I said graciously, putting on my TV camera smile. "Edward has been kind enough to indulge his father's overprotection that extends to his family of staffers, as it were. I am hoping that my assignment will not take up too much of Edward's time, I know he is a valuable member of your team." A grin played at the corners of Edward's mouth, but did not come full form. Victoria tapped her desk with a pen.

"I see," she said testily. "Well, we are a very elite team, Miss Swan. We cannot have its members running off to protect young women who cannot look out for themselves and get themselves into trouble. If this order did not come directly from the director, I can assure you I would never have sanctioned this. As it were-" Edward interrupted her.

"As it were, the director did issue the order, so I must do as I'm told, just like you, Victoria. There is no use bringing Miss Swan into this. It was not her request, but my father's. He has political capital and knows how to cash it in. I will protect her for the duration of her assignment and then I will be back here." Anger flashed in Victoria's eyes and heat reddened her cheeks. I gathered she was not used to being spoken to like that.

"Yes, well, as you say, it comes from the director. Please keep me informed, Edward, and please do finish your assignment as quickly as possible, Miss Swan." She opened the file folder on the desk and I could see we had been dismissed. I rose to my feet and smoothed my skirt.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Agent Covent," I said, extending my hand again. She looked up and nodded.

"Indeed." A half-smile broke out on my face.

"I will be sure to let Director Clarke know about our productive meeting today. Have a wonderful morning, Agent Covent." I turned to leave, but not before seeing the deep crimson on her cheeks. Edward rose as well and followed me out the door.

Once outside the office with the door firmly closed, Edward burst out laughing.

"Thank you for that!" he said. He enveloped me in a big bear hug, lifting me from the ground and twirling me. That, combined with his deep laughter, caught the attention of the other agents in the room.

"Who's the hottie, Eddie?" one of the yelled over to him. He flushed and lowered his eyes from meeting mine.

"This is Bella, she works for my dad," he said to the other agent. "Bella, this is Liam. He's one of the other agents on my detail, but he's no rookie." The other man bellowed laughter.

"He's trying to tell you that I'm an old fart, but don't believe a word he says. Pleased to meet you, Bella," he said, shaking the hand I offered him. Then he pulled me into a hug, at which I laughed and Edward gasped. "Sorry, I'm not one for all that hand shaking business between friends. And any friend of Eddie's here is a friend of mine." I laughed and shook my head.

"I completely agree, Liam. It's nice to meet you. I haven't heard much about Edward's work, but I'm sure I will eventually," I said, glancing at him with a grin. His face was happy, a stark contrast from his facial expression only moments before.

"Liam and I met at the Academy. He was one of my instructors, but eventually they tore him away from Quantico to take this assignment. I came onboard about two years later." Edward's hand found the small of my back again. "Sorry Liam, but we have to go. I'll talk to you later, though." He waved with his free hand.

"Not a problem. We still on for tonight?" Edward laughed.

"I don't think so, but I'll let you know later this afternoon." I shot him a questioning look. He mouthed the word "basketball" to me and I nodded in comprehension.

"Sure, you young'uns have a good time." I could have sworn Liam winked, but I couldn't be sure. Clearly he had the wrong idea about Edward and me, but Edward didn't correct him.

"Oh, we will!"

We walked out of the bullpen and waited at the elevator.

"Why didn't you correct him?" I asked quietly, watching the numbers light up as they got closer to the 14th floor.

"Because the fewer people who know the real intent of our assignment, the better. I trust Liam with my life, but I also love him like a brother. I don't want anything to happen to him because he knew just a little too much without knowing enough to protect himself." The doors opened and the elevator chimed. He guided me inside and pushed the button for the parking garage.

"So where are we off to now?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Heck if I know." We looked at each other and burst into fits of laughter.

This was going to be an interesting investigation.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **OK, so when you try to write on the fly, things get confusing I changed some names after a few inconsistencies were brought to my attention. Edward's brother's name is Eric (we will meet him later). Jasper is Alice's boyfriend (Alice who is roommates with Bella). Emmett is Edward's best friend and also the boyfriend of Rosalie (Rosalie who is roommates with Bella). That should clear everything up – and I apologize for the confusion. Things were not clear in my head – and I wrote down the characters who were supporting characters, but – silly me – NOT the main ones. Go figure. Now on to the next chapter, where the investigation finally begins – enjoy!

We walked out into the sunshine, surprisingly bright for having just had a rain shower. I grabbed my sunglasses out of my bag and put them on as Edward turned to face me.

"Where to next, boss?" he asked me, smiling. I smiled, looking both directions along Pennsylvania Avenue.

"I have no idea. You're the trained investigator!" He laughed.

"True, but this is your show, Bella. Let's see that list again," he said, motioning to my bag. I pulled out the list we'd made.

"OK, Sam is Black's chief-of-staff, so I don't want to talk to him right now. We'll save him for when we have more information. We could start with Tanya Denali at the House Judiciary Committee, I have a pretty good working relationship with her," I suggested, but Edward shook his head.

"I think we should keep any Congressional people for later, when we have more information. Let's start with either Lauren Mallory or Angela Weber. Which one do you want to do first?"

"Let's go with Lauren Mallory. You're a cop, you should have a rapport with her. Maybe that will give us a good start." He laughed and put the list in his jacket pocket.

"Lucky for you I have a good relationship with Metro PD. I think I can get us a few minutes with her." He started towards the parking garage and soon we were settled back in his car.

"Here," Edward said to me, handing me is phone. "Call Liam back at the office and ask him to check with Metro PD to find out which precinct Lauren Mallory is stationed at. Then we'll know where to go." I took the phone from him. "Speed dial 3."

As I called, Edward rummaged around in the backseat. He had reached back through the opening between the two front seats, placing his shirt at a decided nose-level for me. I couldn't help but smell him when I inhaled.

_Oh my God, that's heaven._

A distinct mixture of cinnamon, musk, and a hint of pine. Unlike anything else I'd ever smelled. Heavenly was a pretty good descriptor. Great, one more thing that's perfect about him.

"Do you want something to drink? I have some water back here if you want some," he asked from the backseat.

"Sure, some water would be great. I hate getting dehydrated when it's so wet outside." Then I turned my attention to the phone, as Liam answered.

"Hi there Edward," he said. I laughed.

"Not Edward, it's Bella. He wanted me to ask you to run something for him." Liam laughed heartily.

"He's doing work while he has a pretty thing like you to keep him company? Something is wrong with that boy. What'll it be?" he asked light-heartedly. I smiled, glancing at Edward. He cocked an eyebrow at me, most likely wondering what Liam had said.

"He wants to know which precinct Lauren Mallory is assigned to. Metro PD." I could hear typing.

"Sure thing, should just be a second. Why are you going to Metro PD? Is this for a case?" he asked, a mix of curiosity and concern in his voice. I looked at Edward, my eyes wide. He didn't tell me what to say if Liam asked why we needed the information. I mouthed 'Why?' to him, and he nodded, mouthing back, 'Dad.'

"No, not a case, I guess the senator needed some information and asked him to get it from this particular cop. Since I work for the senator, Edward thought it wouldn't hurt if I tagged along."

"Ah, that makes sense. Ok, looks like she's assigned to Indiana Avenue. That's good, just a couple blocks from here."

"Oh great, thanks Liam. I'll see you soon."

"I'll hold you to it. And Bella? Don't let Eddie scare you. He's a tough nut to crack, but once you do there's no one better." I smiled.

"Thanks Liam, I'll keep that in mind."

"You do that. Have a good night," he said and then he hung up. I ended the call and handed the Blackberry back to Edward.

"Dare I even ask what Liam told you?" he mused, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Nope. He did say that Lauren Mallory is assigned to the Indiana Avenue precinct, just a couple of blocks away."

"Oh good. Maybe we can talk to her over lunch," he said and backed out of the parking space.

We walked into the Metropolitan Police Department precinct and, as expected, it was chaos. We climbed the steps and waited to talk to the receptionist at the desk. After a few moments, Edward moved forward and smiled at the young woman seated before him.

"Good morning, I'm Special Agent Edward Cullen," he began, showing her his credentials and then putting them back in his jacket. "I wanted to speak to Detective Kate Aspen. Is she here?" he asked smoothly. The girl stared at him without speaking for a moment before almost imperceptibly nodding her head. In her defense, he was almost being mean in his "dazzling."

"Great, could we see her?" I asked, breaking the girl from her reverie. She looked at me stonily, apparently upset that I burst her bubble. She nodded.

"Yes, she is. What is your name?" she asked, directed more at Edward than to me. No nevermind that he had already told her.

"He is Special Agent Edward Cullen, and I am Isabella Swan from Senator Cullen's office," I said, smiling sweetly. At the word "senator," her eyes widened and she stood from her chair hastily, almost knocking it over.

"Oh, I'll let her know right away. Just one moment," and then she hurried away. A moment later she was back, a slightly traumatized look on her face and a woman was following behind her.

"Edward, so good to see you!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "And who is this lovely woman with you?" she asked. She smiled sincerely and extended her hand. I shook it and smiled warmly back at her.

"My name is Isabella Swan, but you can just call me Bella. Edward and I wanted to know if we could talk to Lauren Mallory. I understand she's a detective here, right?" At the mention of Lauren's name, Kate's smile faded.

"She was," she said softly and motioned for us to follow her. We made our way through the maze of desks to a room in the back. "This is an interrogation room, but we should have some privacy, at least for the time being," she said. "Please, have a seat and I'll explain. I didn't want to have to mention everything in the bullpen where everyone would be able to hear." Edward and I both took a seat on one side of the table and she paced the floor on the other side.

"Kate, why don't you sit down," Edward said softly. "What happened?"

"Lauren used to work here," she said, sitting as Edward suggested. "She was a great detective and I would like to think she was my friend. But two weeks ago, she was suddenly transferred." She paused.

"Is that unusual?" I asked, honestly wondering.

"Not really, but this is a pretty impressive precinct. We are first on-call for almost everything, it's the best of the best. To be transferred out of here without notice is essentially to be demoted."

"What did she do to get demoted?" Edward asked. He had pulled out a small notepad and pen and was taking notes. I glanced over and noticed that I couldn't decipher a single word. Edward had his own form of shorthand.

"As far as I know, nothing. That was what was so strange about it, she was liked by everyone. She did a great job, she was a fabulous detective. The only thing I can think of is that she angered someone through a case she was working."

"What was her most recent case?" I asked.

"A pretty routine drive-by shooting. She was investigating the death and as soon as she filed her report, she got the transfer notice. She was seething, but didn't seem like it particularly surprised her." Kate bit her lip. "Then I heard three days ago that she was found dead in her apartment," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Edward covered her hand with his own, a look of sympathy plain on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Kate. How come we didn't hear about it?" he asked, genuinely concerned. He turned to me and said, "The FBI investigates the deaths of Metropolitan Police Department officers so that there isn't a conflict of interest. Typically all of us receive a notice in case any of us were working with that particular officer on a case." I nodded in understanding.

"I assumed you had, that's why I was so upset when you asked about her. For the FBI to not know about her death, either someone doesn't want it investigated or has cashed in a favor at the FBI."

"True. We wanted to talk to her about some human trafficking. Bella is working on a bill for my father that would fight human trafficking. He gave us a list of sources, and Lauren's name was on the list. Had she worked a human trafficking case recently?" he asked gently.

"As far as I know, she only worked homicides. I suppose it's possible that one or two of them might have a human trafficking connection. I'll look through her files and see what I can find."

"Thank you, Kate," I said, feeling like I should interject something into the conversation. Finally, I asked the question that seemed to be the giant elephant in the room. "Kate, is there any reason that someone would want Lauren dead?"

Kate took a deep breath. "Until you walked in here today, I would have said no. Now I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" asked Edward.

"She had been acting a little strange recently, very secretive. I assumed it was just a feeling of betrayal since she'd been re-assigned, but now I think it might have been more than that. We met for lunch a couple of times since she moved, and she seemed almost panicked the last time I saw her."

"When was that?" Edward asked. He was in full interrogation-mode, I could tell.

"The day before they found her dead. We met for lunch at a hole-in-the-wall place near Capitol Hill. She mentioned feeling like she'd been followed. I asked her who it might have been, suggesting that maybe it was the angry ex-boyfriend she'd dumped a couple of months earlier. She said it wasn't, that she thought it might have had something to do with the case she'd worked on to get demoted. She wouldn't get into specifics, but said something about Congressman Jacob Black." Both Edward and I looked at each other, identical looks on our faces. Excitement mixed with fear mixed with sheer luck.

"What about Congressman Black, Kate?" Edward asked, turning back to face her.

"She said that Congressman Black was in trouble. Something about business deals and customs problems that were more sinister than they appeared to be on the surface."

"Are you sure that's what she said?" Edward asked. "It couldn't have been someone on his staff?"

"No, she was sure. It was Congressman Black. She'd seen some shipping labels from Thailand in the course of the investigation into the hit-and-run. It hadn't added up, so she pursued the matter further."

"And what did she find?" I asked, my fingers gripping the edge of the table, my body leaning forward in anticipation."

"She figured out the identity of the hit-and-run victim. His name was Eric Yorkie, a drug runner for one of the well-known drug lords in southeast DC." Edward pulled the list out of his pocket; we were both thinking the same thing.

"Wait, Eric Yorkie? He's a drug runner?" I asked, looking at the list as Edward handed it to me. This didn't make sense.

"That's what she could figure out. She realized that Eric Yorkie was probably a low-level drug runner and had been killed for something he'd done to his supplier – cutting into the profit, coming up short on his daily quota, something like that. But she did some more digging and figured out that Eric wasn't just a drug-runner. He was related to someone on Capitol Hill."

"What's that person's name?" I asked, figuring I would know who it was. It turned out it wasn't necessary, since we all knew who he was.

"Eric Yorkie was Sam Uley's half-brother."

Edward dropped the pen he was holding and it clattered on the metal table.

"Well, I'm glad we started with Lauren," he said under his breath. "Now we have a connection."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **One of my original characters in this chapter is dedicated to my dear friend, Megan. She is a great sounding board who also writes fanfiction, so she understands the unique needs of a fanfic writer. I could not do what I do without her, so thank you, Megan! You rock. Anyway, enjoy and thank you for bearing with me and reading. I hit a bit of a rut, but I'm back on the bandwagon, so to speak.

We thanked Kate and left the police station. True to DC weather, it was raining again.

"Seriously, this is ridiculous. I feel like the weather is bipolar," I said, reaching for my umbrella, but Edward beat me to it.

"Here, we can share," he said, offering his own.

"Thanks," I said with a smile and stepped closer to him. He reached around and grabbed me close around the waist to make sure I didn't wander too far from under the protection of the umbrella.

"I find this is easier. And yes, you're right, DC weather is bipolar. But we love it, right?"

"True. So we found the connection of Eric Yorkie, and now we now we can't talk to him. Do you think he really was a drug runner?" I asked as we turned into the parking garage. Edward closed his umbrella and stowed it in his bag while grabbing his keys.

"I have no idea, but I know we certainly can't ask Uley about it, that will only make him suspicious. We could Google Eric Yorkie's name and see what comes up." We reached his car and he opened the door for me. I smiled and got in, Edward closing the door behind me. He dashed over to his side and climbed in.

"You are quite the gentleman," I said, buckling my seatbelt. Edward gave me a sidelong glance, smirking.

"Would you expect anything less from Esme Cullen's son?" he asked pointedly. I laughed and nodded in acquiescence.

"I suppose not. But honestly, it's good to know chivalry is not completely dead. At least anywhere but the metro," I said, goading him slightly. He feigned a hurt look on a face.

"Wow Bella, I'm wounded. I said I was sorry!" He swiped a card to get out of the garage and we turned onto the street.

"I know, I'm kidding. It honestly is fine. We should probably see if Liam can ID Eric as well," I suggested. He smirked again.

"Already done, Missy," he said, pulling out his Blackberry that was buzzing. I looked down and saw what looked to be a dossier on Eric Yorkie.

"See! I told you that you all have dossiers on everyone!" He laughed as I opened the file. There was a picture of a young, good-looking guy. His skin was a different color than Sam's, more black than brown. I noticed that they shared a mother, who was Native American, but Eric's father was black. They met in Seattle and are still there.

"It's hard to believe these guys are brothers," Edward said, leaning over my shoulder. I turned to face him and my lips brushed his cheek. I felt a spark of electricity, similar to last night.

"Yeah, they seem like polar opposites. Sam went to school in Oklahoma with Black. Sam and Black interned at Congressman Clearwater's office in Tulsa during college and worked as aides in Tulsa after college. Eric, on the other hand, went to University of Washington for journalism, working at the _Seattle Post-Intelligencer_ for a while. A couple of years ago, he moved to DC and has worked for the _Washington Post_."

"Hmm," was all Edward said. I looked at him with a confused look.

"Hmm? What does that mean?" I asked.

"Well, it just seems odd. Kate said that the hit-and-run victim was a drug addict. Surely, once Angela figured out who he was, she would have realized he was a _Washington Post_ reporter. Why didn't the _Post_ run anything on this in the first place? Wouldn't they recognize their own reporter?" He had a confused look on his face to mirror my own. "Something just doesn't add up," he finished, a bit softer than his previous statement, almost as if talking to himself.

"You have a point there. It's odd that they wouldn't run something, and it didn't seem like the police were covering it up or anything," I said, looking back at the dossier. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. I dug it out of my purse and answered.

"Isabella Swan," I said absent-mindedly, my thoughts still on the dossier.

"Ah, Miss Isabella, I assume you know who this is," said an annoyingly suave voice. I instantly knew who it was and my head jerked up.

"Yes, Mr. Uley, I know who you are. What can I do for you?" I asked diplomatically. Edward looked over, his expression a mixture of anger and concern.

"Well, I was hoping I could meet with you for a moment. Are you somewhere on the Hill?" he asked in a voice too sickening to be sincere.

"I am in my office as a matter of fact, but quite busy at the moment. Could I reschedule for another time, perhaps?" I asked sweetly. Politeness was all he was going to get from me, as I didn't want any surprises before I was ready to make my move on the Black Camp.

"Really? That's odd, I was just at your office and your secretary said you hadn't been in yet today." My breath caught in my throat. I looked to Edward with a panicked expression and mouthed _He's at my office._ Edward stepped on the accelerator.

"I thought perhaps you had meetings elsewhere on the Hill. Maybe she just missed you, though; you know how scatter-brained those secretaries can be," he continued. I composed myself and smiled to no one in particular.

"I don't know what sort of secretaries Congressman Black employs, but Senator Cullen only allows the most capable and dedicated personnel to serve with him. I'm afraid I'm unavailable at the moment, Mr. Uley, please arrange something with my secretary for later in the week," I said and ended the phone call. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and looked cautiously at Edward.

"He was at your office? What on earth was he doing there?" he asked, his voice getting louder as he got angrier. "I guess my dad was right, this Black fellow seems more dangerous than he lets on."

"Technically he didn't do anything wrong; chiefs of staff are more than welcome in other Congressional offices," I said weakly.

"Exactly, which makes him all the more dangerous. He'll never say anything outright or explicitly threaten you, but the implications will be evident." Edward pulled into the Congressional parking garage, flashing his FBI ID as I flashed my Congressional ID. Three floors and several marble hallways later, we were walking into the suite of offices for Senator Carlisle Cullen.

"Bells!" I heard, and instantly smiled. My secretary, Megan, has called me that since I began working for the senator. She and I had an instant rapport as we both shared a secret love of Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream and Fruit Loops (though of course not together). I kept a box of Fruit Loops in my bottom office drawer for use in the event than an emergency carb reload was essential.

"Megs!" I said back and hugged her. I had seen her just the day before, but it seemed like it had been a lifetime.

"Mr. Uley was here to see you, but I told him you hadn't been in, was that ok? He seemed unusually… pleased with that information." She looked worried, so I smiled and patted her hand.

"Not a problem, Megs, that was fine. If anyone else comes looking for me, please tell them that I'm out for the rest of the week, personal business." Just then, Megan caught sight of Edward and her mouth dropped open slightly from shock. Edward chuckled softly and I grinned.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. Pleased to meet you, Megan," he said, extending a hand as I moved out of her way.

"Well hell-o Eddie! He's quite the charmer, isn't he, Bells? What a catch you've caught!" My face blushed and Edward laughed. I knew it was coming though… "Wait, Cullen? As in Senator Cullen's son?" I could hear the slight panic in her voice as she realized who she was talking to.

"Yes, Megs, as in the senator's son. But he's here with me, actually, on loan from the FBI. Nothing major, just some help on a project. Is the senator in, by the way?" I asked, hoping to deflect attention from his association or why he was here, exactly. She took the bait.

"No, he is at a meeting with Congresswoman Stockhart. Campaign finance reform, I believe. Can I get you anything to drink, Mr. Cullen?" she asked, diverting her attention back to Edward. He smiled and politely declined.

"We'll be in my office, Megan. Thank you!" I said, ushering Edward into my office. I had seen some of the aides and interns begin to show interest, which was the last thing I wanted. We hurried into my office and I closed the blinds in the window. Edward took a seat and I walked behind my desk to do the same. He stared out the window behind me, admiring my view.

"It is upsetting to me that Sam Uley came here, Bella. You could have been in very grave danger had you been here." He paused, moving his eyes to look into mine. He held eye contact for a moment before speaking. "That would be unacceptable," he said, very softly.

"Well, I rather agree with you, Edward. I'm not trying to get hurt, or killed for that matter. I am just trying to do my job." I leaned forward slightly. "I'm sorry about what Megan said. I don't want you to think that I view you as some piece of meat. You are my boss's son, and I hope a friend as well." I looked down at my hands folded on the desk, unable to make eye contact with him. His words brought my eyes up to meet his, however.

"You are most definitely a friend, Bella. And I'm very sorry about how all of this began; I can see you are in very real danger, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, no matter how long it takes."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Twilight (characters, story plot from the published Twilight series, or other miscellaneous concepts). I only own the storyline here as it relates to the federal political scene.

**Chapter Notes: **I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. School is a nightmare – to all you teachers out there, I have infinitely more respect for you, now! I also had difficulty deciding how to get Eddie and Bells where I wanted them to be, so that took some time to get inspiration. Anyway, here you go and enjoy!

Megan tapped on the window and I jumped with a start. A grin played at the corners of Edward's mouth as I felt heat rise up my neck into my cheeks.

"Yes, Megan?" I said loudly enough for her to hear so she would come in. She opened the door and smiled.

"Bells, the senator just came in. I thought you'd want to know." She looked at Edward and then back at me, still smiling.

"Ok, great, thanks Megan. Have you taken a lunch break?" I asked, grinning at her. She nodded and chuckled.

"On my way, do you want something?"

"No, we were just leaving to have some lunch ourselves, in fact," Edward answered for me. He rose and grabbed his coat, extending his arm as if to grab my arm and lead me out. I followed his lead and grabbed my coat. I closed the blinds behind me out of habit and grabbed a notepad from my desk and scooted out the door. Edward followed me and I locked the door behind me.

"Megan, remember, tell anyone who calls that I'm out the rest of the week. Take messages and tell them I will respond to them on Monday." She nodded and gave me a hug.

"Whatever you're doing, Izzie, be safe," she said quietly in my ear and gave me an extra squeeze. Then she turned to leave for the cafeteria. Sometimes if I didn't remind her to eat, she would forget. It was something of a running joke between us; she called it her diet plan. I called it being scatter-brained and devoted to her work. Either way, it worked for her.

I motioned to Edward toward his father's office, talking to him over my shoulder.

"If you want to get some lunch, I know a great place down by the Navy Yard, on Barracks Row," I mentioned softly. "I figured that would be far enough from the Hill to avoid seeing the wrong people and then we could talk."

"That sounds great," he said softly. I couldn't tell if he was upset or pensive. I furrowed my brow and glanced back as we reached his father's office. I tapped on the door and popped my head in.

"Oh, hello Isabella. Is Edward with you, I hope?" Edward popped his head in behind me (or rather, above me, I suppose) and waved.

"Yes, Dad. I know how to do my job, thanks." There was a hint of annoyance in his voice, but I thought that most of it was affectionate banter. It was hard to tell with these two.

"Sam called, Carlisle. He said he was here." Carlisle frowned and slowly lowered the pen in his hand onto the desk.

"That was not entirely unexpected, but it is disturbing. I'll pass it around the office that anyone from Rep. Black's office needs to make an appointment in advance or else they are not permitted past the secretary."

"Thanks, Carlisle," I said and waved. "We'll see you later." Edward and I turned to leave, but Carlisle called behind us.

"Be careful, you two. And Edward," he said as Edward quickly stuck his head back in. "I would suggest Barracks Row for lunch." Edward stared at me and I just laughed.

"It's a popular place among this office," I said softly as an explanation.

We left the office and I grabbed Edward's arm as soon as the elevator door was closed.

"Are you ok?" I asked him. I decided that outright was probably the best tactic to take with an FBI agent.

"I'm fine, why would you think anything is wrong?" he said, more coolly than usual, but with a smile.

"You just seem a bit…" I trailed off. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Pensive," I offered. I wanted to be blunt, but I didn't want to be mean.

"Pensive?" He asked, eyes twinkling. I smiled – I was glad to see that gleam back in his eyes.

"Yes, pensive." I turned to look at the still-closed doors as the indicator chimed and they opened. "Or perhaps upset."

"What would I be upset about?" he asked softly, lightly grabbing my elbow to maneuver me towards the door to the parking garage. I shook my head, almost imperceptibly but he caught it and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"We should take the metro. It's more environmentally friendly, plus I like it." He looked at me with a sideways glance.

"It's also a safety hell. No," he said firmly, pushing my arm more forcefully. I moved to cross in front of him, my eyes widening and my jaw setting. His arm shot out, blocking my parry.

_Really, you thought you could cross him? Nice try, Missy._

And there is that inner self again. Jeez, she's persnickety.

"Nice try, Bella. You aren't going to make this easy, are you?" he said, still softly, but glancing around. His eyes were constantly moving when he was in public, taking in his surroundings.

"It's not in my nature," I said, giving him a very unlady-like and childish look: I stuck my tongue out. He almost choked on his own spit.

"Did you just stick your tongue out at me? Isabella Swan, I never thought you had it in you. Now go down the stairs!" He nudged me through the door, making sure the door closed behind him. He pushed me up against the wall, his face maybe an inch from mine. His hands firmly held my arms against the wall; struggling was futile. It should have scared me, but it didn't. In fact, it exhilarated me.

"Edward…" I spoke breathlessly. He shook his head, almost imperceptibly.

"Bella, you need to let me do my job," he said, his voice almost a whisper. I inclined my head slightly, indicating I was listening, and agreed with him. "Please don't make this more difficult than it already is."

_Already? What does that mean?_

For once, inner self had a point.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly. His grip immediately loosened and he looked away.

"Nothing," he said, backing away. He turned around and ran his hand through his hair. He was clearly flustered.

"No, that wasn't nothing," I said, my voice gaining strength. I stepped towards him, but he held his hand out behind him, stopping me.

"It needs to be," he said, starting down the stairs.

We rode in silence to the restaurant. It was one of my favorites called The Ugly Mug out by the Navy Yard.* Edward parked on the street a block away and we walked. Edward was constantly in motion, it seemed; his eyes were taking it all in, his hands were maneuvering me where he wanted me to go, even his body crossed behind me, left to right and back again.

We stepped into the old building and the hostess seated us. It was past the usual lunch rush, but there were a few lingering businessmen having a late lunch. We sat down; Edward with his back to the wall, and I with my back to the restaurant. I was uncomfortable with the positions, but I allowed Edward to have his peace.

"Two waters, please, with lemon," I said to the waiter when he approached.

"Yes ma'am, I'll be right back to take your order." He left and I turned to Edward. As usual, he was scanning the room.

"Edward," I started. His eyes stopped scanning and focused on me; I knew I had his attention. I would have to tread carefully. "What was that about?" I started cautiously.

"What was what about?" he asked without looking up from the menu. Clearly he didn't want to talk about it.

"Why is this difficult?" I pressed. I didn't understand what this was all about. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. His eyes rose from the menu to meet mine.

"It just is, Bella. Can we please talk about something else?" His eyes were pleading with me, and I didn't have the heart to refuse. I nodded.

"Ok. So what made you want to… do what you do?" I asked, glancing around. He didn't look like an agent – on purpose – and I didn't want to blow his cover after he'd taken such care to appear normal. He laughed lightly and leaned back in his chair, visibly relaxed.

"Well, I'm the oldest Cullen. Eric is two years younger than me; Alice is four years younger. I was expected to be a doctor, just like my dad. And I thought I would, actually, because I really like helping people. But math and science isn't really my thing; I was always good at puzzles and finding things. So, becoming a cop made sense." The waiter came by with our waters, so Edward glanced up and smiled his thanks.

"What can I get you two?" the waiter asked, looking first to me.

"I'll have the chopped romaine salad with the balsamic vinaigrette** and an iced tea, please," I said, then closed the menu and handed it to the waiter, who turned to Edward.

"I'll have the Italian sausage sub** and a Pepsi, please," he said, also handing his menu to the waiter.

"I'll have those right out for you," he said and hurried to the kitchen. Once he was gone, Edward continued his story.

"When I was in high school, I took biology and chemistry and did well in them, but I didn't really have a passion for them. My father was upset that I was not going to be a doctor and carry on the family tradition, but my mother was supportive. She wanted me to be whatever I wanted to be, as long as I was good at it and loved it. My father and I got in several arguments during my junior year, when I was looking at colleges. I ended up going to the University of South Carolina, which has a great criminal justice program. Once I graduated, I joined the Baltimore City Police Department and soon made the switch to the FBI. I am proficient in several languages, but the one that was of the most interest to the FBI at the time was Chinese. I speak both Mandarin and Cantonese, so they were very interested." He shifted in his seat and glanced toward the kitchen.

"Eric ended up going into medicine, so at least someone continued the tradition. Father was very angry with me for some time, though, so it's no surprise that you didn't recognize me; I don't think he allowed Mother to keep a photograph of me around for several years. He's begun to come around to the idea of my working for the FBI since he's been here in DC. I'm the only one close enough for them to see on a regular basis, so Mother made him get over it." He paused and looked at me, a grin forming on his face. "Or at least keep his annoyance to himself."

"Why haven't I seen you at his functions and parties if you live in the area?" I asked, genuinely interested. I knew that Carlisle and Esme had two sons, and I had seen photographs of Edward when he was young, but he was correct; there were no new photos anywhere in the house or office.

"I didn't want to cause an argument by coming," he said softly. "I know I am an embarrassment to him, and I didn't want to cause a scene." He looked down and stirred his water, clearly engrossed in the pattern formed by the ice and lemon.

"I don't think you are an embarrassment to your father, Edward," I said carefully, moving my hand to cover his on the table. His eyes shot up to meet mine.

"You know my father the senator, Bella, but you don't know his as a dad." I nodded.

"That's true."

"And you didn't know anything about me, so clearly he is not very forthcoming about me, even to you, who he views almost like a daughter." I nodded, more slowly this time.

"So you knew about me?" I asked quizzically. He looked at me, but didn't answer me right away.

"Yes."

"What did you know?" He sighed.

"My mother spoke about you many times. She loves you like her own daughter. My mother had to grieve for Alice very quickly because she had two young sons to care for. I was ten when she was taken, but still a boy and very confused about what had happened. My brother Eric was eight. My mother quickly had to accept that she likely would never see Alice ever again. My father was not so fast to accept that fact, but he could afford to continue looking for her; my mother was not able to do that emotionally. She couldn't hold on to Alice and still care for my brother and me. So, when she met you, you were the daughter she had not had in many years."

He stopped when the waiter brought our food and drinks. I grabbed a packet of Splenda from the sugar container and dumped in the granules, stirring with the straw.

"So what did she tell you about me, then?" I asked, curious as to what Esme would consider important enough to tell her son. Edward smiled.

"It was right after she had met you that she first mentioned you to me, in a phone call. She said you were poised, articulate and smart, but very funny and just a pleasure to be around. She was not at all incorrect in any of those assessments," he added, smiling. I blushed and took a bite of my salad.

"I see," was all I could manage.

"But I see I have embarrassed you," he said, that gleam in his eye again.

"Like that wasn't your intention all along, Edward Cullen!" I said, playfully pushing his shoulder. We both laughed and spent the rest of the lunch talking about normal things – movies, books, anything and everything. Suddenly, my ears perked up at the voice of the waiter speaking to a man at the bar.

"Quil, how are you today?" I heard the waiter say. Edward must have heard it as well, for her looked at me and cocked his eyebrow.

"Quil Ateara?" he mouthed. I shrugged my shoulders. Quil wasn't exactly a popular name, but it was possible that in a city the size of Washington, DC, there was more than one. However, how many of them would be at a restaurant less than five blocks from the main gate of the Navy Yard? Especially when the one we were looking for worked for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I had finished my salad and Edward had just taken the last bite of his sandwich, so we both stood and Edward took the bill to the cashier while I walked over to the man at the bar. He was chatting amicably with another man sitting next to him. Quil was young, maybe in his late 20s, and the man he was with was in his mid-40s. Quil had dark hair and a dark skin tone, which led me to believe he was Native American. His hair was cropped short; Navy regulation. NCIS agents don't have to have Navy regulation hair, which told me he had spent some time in the service, probably recently discharged as he hadn't broken the habit yet. He was fit and tall, almost Edward's height (or so I guessed, since he was sitting on a bar stool). The man next to him had salt and pepper hair and was stockier, but not heavy-set; you could tell it was all muscle.

"Excuse me," I said as I tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned to look at me and smiled as soon as he registered that I was a woman.

"Hello, what can I do for you, Miss…?" he ended the sentence clearly asking for my name. I obliged.

"Swan, Isabella Swan. I couldn't help but overhear the waiter. Are you Quil Ateara?" I asked. There was no other way to know but to ask, but he looked surprised.

"Yes, I am. Miss Swan, how do you know who I am?" he looked a bit confused and his eyes went on alert, just like Edward's. I was sure I had the right person.

"I work for Senator Cullen, Agent Ateara, and I was given your name as a contact for a bill we are working on. But I have interrupted your lunch; is there some way we can meet after you are finished?" He looked to the man next to him and then back to me.

"Actually, we can meet right now, if you'll give me a moment to get my salad to go. Can I meet you outside in a few moments?"

"Sure, I'll see you outside." I stepped over to the cashier where Edward had just finished paying the bill. We walked out the door and waited on a bench a few feet away. About five minutes later, Quil exited the building and I could see that I was correct; he was almost the height of Edward. He looked both ways and saw me as I rose from the bench. He made his way over to us and shook my hand and Edward's while I made introductions.

"Agent Ateara, this is FBI Special Agent Edward Cullen. Edward, this is NCIS Special Agent Quil Ateara." They both smiled at each other and Edward motioned for him to take a seat next to us on the bench. He did so and opened his to-go container to eat his salad.

"I'm sorry, Agent Ateara, for interrupting your lunch," I began. He shook his head and waved his hand away.

"Not a problem, Miss Swan, but please call me Quil."

"Alright, but only if you call me Bella," I replied, glancing at Edward. He nodded. "And he's Edward. No formalities needed." Quil nodded and smiled.

"Deal."

"Well, Quil, your name was on my list of contacts. Can you think of any reason you'd be on a list that has to do with human trafficking?" He swallowed hard.

"Actually, I can. I can't get into details out here, but we are currently investigating a human trafficking ring that we believe has ties to the United States." Edward and I exchanged glances.

"Really? Can we go back to your office after you have finished and talk about this further?"

"Of course," he said and quickly finished his salad. We chatted about nothing in particular, trying to keep friendly conversation. When he was done, he tossed his container in a nearby garbage can and led us to the M Street Entrance to the Navy Yard.

"So, if I may, you said that the ring had ties to the United States. Where is it based, then?" I asked Quil as we walked the few blocks to the Navy Yard entrance.

"We believe it started in Singapore," he said. "We discovered the connection while investigating a cold case out of our regional office there."

"What kind of cold case?" Edward asked.

"Double murder of two Navy sailors who were stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan. It was docked there for liberty leave and the two never returned at the end of the weekend leave. They were designated AWOL, but after a couple of weeks, their commanding officer was really concerned and contacted the Special Agent Afloat onboard the Ronald Reagan. He contacted the regional office and they launched an investigation. Their bodies were found several days later."

"You said this was a cold case, what year did this happen?" Edward prodded.

"1989." Edward stopped dead in his tracks. I turned around, concerned.

"What is it, Edward?"

"That was the year Alice went missing."

* The Navy Yard refers to the Washington Navy Yard along the banks of the Anacostia River. It is home to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and some contractors working with the Navy (e.g. NAVSEA and others). It is also the headquarters of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). I interned there for a year, so my descriptions of the inside are of the real NCIS, not the one on TV (though of all of the crime dramas out there, it's one of the most accurate ones). Anyway, it is a real place, though will be shut down in a couple of years as part of the Base Re-Alignment and Closure (BRAC) policy and will simply be a historical site with the Navy Museum.

** The Ugly Mug is a real restaurant near the Navy Yard. It is on 8th Street and G Street and serves the two items that Edward and Bella orders. The chopped romaine salad has romaine lettuce with tomatoes, bacon, pasta and creamy vinaigrette (which Bella passes on and asks for balsamic vinaigrette instead) and the Italian sausage sub has sweet Italian sausage with peppers, onions and provolone cheese on a French sub roll. It's a pretty good restaurant, so if you are ever in the vicinity, I would recommend it!


End file.
